A Mother's Dying Wish
by Darth Yuthura
Summary: Twilight Queen & the Sun Princess: Part 1 Queen Leila has fallen gravely ill and she abandons Stefan to search for her daughter. Unfortunately this may mean having to deal with the one responsible for cursing Aurora. Meanwhile Maleficent considers whether Aurora should know of the curse, or to simply allow the truth to die with Leila.
1. In the Dark

**Having showed no interest in Maleficent, I happened across a Youtube clip of true love's kiss. Needless to say that I was intrigued at how they could turn Disney's most iconic villain and give her a proper background story. After reading a few synopses, I started writing my own version of the story in a few critical places.**

** Although the movie was certainly a gem thanks almost solely to Angelina Jolie's magic, the story had so much untapped potential. Had Stefan been a more complex character, they could have created something so much better than what it was. Now instead of Maleficent being the mistress of pure evil like in the animated movie, they simply switched roles and it became just another hero/villain story.**

** Given my history of rarely finishing long stories, I've decided to start doing a series of shorter story arcs. So for my first fantasy story, I've decided to make a four chapter segment where Queen Leila makes a desperate effort to find Aurora before death takes her. This will also further expand upon Maleficent's relationship with Aurora in a very special way. **

** Please read and review.**

**In the Dark**

Time had slowed to a crawl, and Angus felt the need to crack the door open to have another look outside. Had the queen chosen to escape in her own carriage, he could have watched the dawn through glass windows. However she didn't wish to attract attention, and this enclosed box on wheels seemed the most appropriate means of achieving that.

Not wishing to disturb his queen, Angus stretched out his hand for the door and pushed it open just wide enough to glimpse through the narrow opening. It couldn't have been a more dreary night, as seemingly everything was against them. Apart from the faintest glow of a waning moon behind the clouds, it was pitch black outside. With no source of light beyond a few torches, they had to maintain a pace no greater than a casual walk. Given Leila's deteriorating condition, Angus knew this wasn't fast enough.

Disappointed only to see a few shadowy silhouettes dimly illuminated by the flickering of torches outside, Angus gritted his teeth. If only the sun would rise, the driver could see the road in front of them and they could make haste. Even a clear night with a partial moon would have greatly aided their journey.

For an early spring morning, the night air outside was terribly cold and the air within the enclosed carriage grew stale. Only a single candle now illuminated the inside of the carriage, and it was melted down almost to the base. Gesturing with his head to the enclosure hanging from the ceiling, he whispered to Leila's handmaiden. "Nadia?"

The young woman of only twenty years old obediently got up and leaned forward so he could whisper into her ear.

"Please replace that candle."

Nadia couldn't tell whether her queen was asleep or not, hesitant to respond. "We've only got one left. Are you sure...?"

It was then that Leila finally spoke up, not raising her head nor opening her eyes. "Save it for later, then. We may need it."

Startled, Nadia answered back. "Your Majesty, the doctor needs..."

She gently shook her head, now resting upon his lap. "None of this is helping. Just put it out."

The fourth person in the carriage was the King's physician, Anders, whom reluctantly accompanied Leila against her wishes. Leila didn't trust Anders and actually tried escaping without his notice, knowing that he would stop her. It actually seemed ironic that while Stefan may not have given a damn about her impending death, Anders wouldn't abandon his patient for anything... even if she were upon death's doorstep.

Unfortunately it wasn't altruism, but fear that compelled him to come along. Had Leila escaped while under his care, that alone would have been ample reason for execution by the king. At least now if she died, he could justify that the queen had explicitly acted against his advice.

Ever so often he would give Leila a dose of some wretched medicine and it only seemed to make her sicker. She welcomed the idea of extinguishing his only source of light so that he couldn't brew any more of it.

As darkness fell upon them, Leila shifted herself into a comfortable position in the hope that she could fall asleep. Angus welcomed having her head upon his lap, given how rarely Stefan was there to comfort his wife. While he may only have been her personal body guard, Angus had since become much more. He knew better than most how much Leila had sacrificed for the good of the kingdom and for her daughter.

When Leila said she wanted her daughter, Angus had volunteered to personally ride out and bring Aurora back to the castle. Unfortunately she didn't have the time to make that happen, which was why he supported her decision to leave. By going to the Aurora's hiding place, instead of bringing her home, it would cut the journey in half. And it also would have allowed her to avoid having to answer many questions.

Knowing that this was Leila's dying wish, Angus vowed to make it happen. It was a vow he intended to keep.

When she extended a hand out for his, Angus was horrified by how cold her flesh had become. And although she couldn't see him, he was careful not to reveal any fear in his gestures. Her condition was deteriorating rapidly, and the last thing he wanted was to make her any more fearful that she may never see her daughter again. Maybe she needed a distraction... "So when we find Aurora, how exactly are you going to introduce yourself? We've no idea what those pixies have told her."

She shook her head weakly. "How far away are we?"

Angus didn't really know anything for sure. All he did know for sure was that they weren't even halfway between the castle and the cottage, given that the carriage hadn't yet hit a single patch of rough terrain. That meant they weren't yet beyond civilization, where paved road became dirt trails. Feeling the need to keep her spirit up, Angus told a fib. "I'd say we're about halfway there."

"Liar." Leila lightly smiled.

He exhaled. "We've still not left the roads yet. The last several miles we'll be going into the wilderness... and that will be rough."

"Sounds like fun."

He shook his head, fearing for her health. "I've not traveled this route many times, and the night and fog is really slowing us down."

"Is that why we can't go any faster?"

"We're going as fast as we safely can. If we hit something and break a wheel..." He couldn't finish the sentence. "But once we've got some daylight, we'll make great haste the rest of the way."

She groaned in discontent. "We'd better. I'm getting worse, not better."

Angus smiled. "Well it may comfort you to know that I've dispatched riders to go on ahead of us. If we're lucky we won't even need to go beyond Brampton."

The queen raised her head nervously. "What was that?"

"I dispatched two riders to go on ahead of us and bring Aurora back to Brampton. If we're lucky, we'll rendezvous there by noon tomorrow."

"No, no... you weren't..." Leila grabbed him by the collar. "What were your exact instructions?! What are they going to tell my little girl?"

Angus suddenly realized his mistake. He was so concerned about getting Aurora and Leila back together that he didn't even consider the consequences. Nervously he tried to answer. "I told them to fetch Aurora and bring her to an inn in Brampton. That's all."

"That's all?"

Angus unfortunately wasn't a great liar, and his hesitation to respond only increased her anxiety. Tightening her grip, Leila sounded increasingly desperate. "Angus, I only wanted to see my daughter. I didn't even intend to reveal that I was her mother!"

"Leila..."

"No, there are too many secrets we needed to keep safe from her. Aurora is still too young and cannot be told anything until that demon's curse had passed." She released Angus and fell back onto the seat right next to him. "I know you were doing this for the best of reasons, but... my god. What am I to tell my little girl?"

Angus slowly extended his arm around Leila's opposite shoulder and drew her back down until her head was safely upon his lap again. "Have you considered that maybe Aurora would like to meet her mother? To know that she's always had someone thinking of her? Loving her? Missing her? Each day that she's been alive, she's always been in your thoughts."

Leila thought deeply about those words, but just couldn't bring herself to accept any of it. "No, we had sent her away. Not for her protection, but for ours."

"What do you mean?" Angus asked.

She sighed grimly. "I think deep down... both Stefan and I realized that the curse would never be broken. I've spent all these years keeping Aurora out of our thoughts and hearts... I only wonder whether she's ever thought of us." As tears began to pour from her eyes, Leila felt increasingly tired with each passing moment. "Before I die, I need to know what it feels like to be a mother. I need to know..."

"Sith..." He gently stroked her head. "You're in our hands now, and we won't rest until Aurora is safely in your arms again. Until then, rest is the best cure."

As Leila became silent and eventually fell asleep, Angus felt a growing anxiety swelling within his soul. He wanted nothing more than to hear her voice again, but couldn't dare disturb Leila. Despite the obvious signs of life, he was left wondering whether she would awaken again or not. Given how ill she had become, this may very well have been the last time she would ever close her eyes.

With at least another hour standing between them and the dawn, Queen Leila was left to sleep soundly. None of the others would find any rest that night.


	2. Desperate Measures

Author's notes: Here's a set up for the next chapter. The backstory is that the Moors have been in a state of relative peace with Stefan's kingdom of Caldoria for almost a decade. However a month ago his army has gone on the offensive with a new weapon which could potentially bring down the wall of thorns. However a week has passed with no attacks and Maleficent is convinced Caldoria is amassing enough of the substance (hellfire) to bring down the wall, but doesn't know where it's coming from.

Thanks for the reviews and follows... they make these stories happen.

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><p>Desperate Measures<p>

Maleficent had grown weary of fighting. After nearly a full decade without any major assault against her homeland, Caldoria used that time to build up its strength while Maleficent feared for her own army. Her wall of thorns had until recently presented an unbreathable barrier by which no human could bypass, but their latest attack had nearly burned completely through.

Before the wall had been erected, the Moors were almost constantly fighting off human this has lead to many losses over the years, small scale confrontations had always served to maintain the training and discipline an army needed to win with almost ten years of living in relative peace, the Moors may have become complacent and her wall has since become their only defense.

Having examined the charred remains where the humans had attempted to create a corridor, the queen of the Moors came to the disturbing realization that she could not repair these sections of the weapon the humans had created to decimate the wall also poisoned the land, making it impossible for her to repair what was only option was to extend the wall around the contaminated land, but doing so presented its own complications.

Had she extended the wall to encompass the now toxic land, its poisons would spread and afflict any Moors living near the the wall were pulled back, the thorns would prevent ground water from being contaminated.A third option was to erect walls on both sides, leaving that section of the boarder greatly weakened.

Considering the options Maleficent would gladly have surrendered poisoned land back to the humans, but was unwilling to fight a war of the boarder back each time the humans used this weapon wasn't an acceptable option... she knew that the Moors would inevitably need to go on the offensive.

Although Maleficent typically didn't rise with the sun, she rarely ever slept past mid day, which was what prompted Diaval to try and awaken he was more than welcome to the Rowan tree she had claimed for herself, Maleficent was especially protective of the nest she slept he was forbidden from disturbing her rest unless an important matter has arisen, but his mistress has since become much more tolerant of intrusions.

Even while asleep, Maleficent had a keen ear for distinguishing the difference between Diaval's flapping wings and those of other other birds would simply take a branch and land upon it without finesse, her loyal raven was ever graceful in didn't even need to open her eyes to extend her arm out for stroking his ebony neck."What is it?"She asked.

Taking a moment to rub himself against her hand, Diaval didn't respond to her question at he could fully understand verbal language while in his raven form, there was simply no means for him to make the sounds necessary to talk had to wait to be changed into a man before he could answer.

It was then that she reluctantly grasped the blanket and moved to one side of the Diaval jumped down into the open space, wide enough to support a man's weight, he awaited a transformation that didn't whether she had fallen back to sleep, he softly squawked to get her twisting her head around, Maleficent waved her hand and the black bird became a man.

With his transformation, Diaval extended his arms out so that he could grasp the tapestry of twigs and branches securing the nest to its home a human Diaval was particularly afraid of heights, and being so high above the ground as the nest was an exercise in his mistress assured him it was safe, he couldn't understand why any flightless creature or being would willingly choose to live suspended over such a steep cliff.

Seemingly uninterested in conversing, Maleficent closed her eyes again so that she could go back to sleep."You didn't have to come here.I told you not to worry unless we were under attack."

Diaval shook his head innocently."I checked in with wanted to thank you for the wonderful would like to know when your next birthday is so that she can return the favor."

Thinking back to the happy time they shared yesterday, Maleficent hated thinking of events so far was now 14 and she now had less than two years before the curse takes its although they celebrated her fourteenth just last night, her actual birthday was almost a month to Caldoria's sudden and brutal series of assaults, the celebration was postponed a number of times since it wasn't genuinely two years, but one year and eleven months... and the poor girl still had no idea how little time she had left.

Seemingly ignoring the question he had just posed, Maleficent just stated her current problem."I tried again to revoke the curse."

Suddenly it made sense why she lacked the strength of get out of time Maleficent exerted her magical abilities, it took a toll upon her the amount of magic which channeled through her flesh was almost proportionate to how much it taxed her an unbreakable curse... she was clearly exhausted.

Given her tone, the outcome was shook his head grimly."I wish that you'd stop."

She scoffed."For years you've been demanding that I undo the curse, and now that I'm finally trying..."

He interrupted."If you can't break it, then there's no point in time you use your magic, we're Stefan decides to launch an offensive now, how much good will you be in your current condition?"

Diaval stood up and made his way down the trunk of the how far out the rowan tree leaned, anyone with feet could walk from the terrace out to the nest with relative whenever Maleficent returned from battle carrying wounds or fatigued, it was Diaval whom tended to her every need.

"You do seem to enjoy vexing me when you think I'm too weak to fight back."Sighing in frustration, she swept the blanket off to the side and rose to her feet."I was thinking you'd look better as a peacock."

Diaval took a hold of a nearby branch so that he could twist himself around to face her. With the most bemused expression on his face, he hesitated to ask."Why a peacock?"

She smirked and then followed Diaval onto the trunk."For one thing it's flightless, has those magnificent tail feathers, and..."Unlike him Maleficent seemed oblivious to the danger of falling, holding her hands behind her back in an almost playful twisted her head until she was facing into a light gust of wind, causing her hair to blow back."...it's very windy up here."

Grasping that branch much tighter than before, he understood her logic while it may only have been an empty threat, they've been exchanging these meaningless taunts for years."But if I were to die, who'd you have left to yell at?"

Maleficent continued strutting down the tree, forcing Diaval off to the side so that he wouldn't fall to his death."I don't was this patch of shooting stars that make better company than most of the human drivel I've encountered."

Although he didn't get the joke, Diaval didn't care to know." said that you tried to break the curse?"

Her feet now firmly upon the ground, Maleficent slowly reached for the staff she had carried for almost fifteen years only intended as a walking stick, it has since become a conduit by which to channel her magic."I was hoping that maybe I might have made a mistake when I cast force can't break it, but just as water infiltrates into the cracks of rocks... I tried finding any imperfections in the curse that I could exploit."

"Did you have any luck?"

She shook her head grimly."Nothing.I had hopes that maybe I could somehow weaken its hold, postpone its effects, change the cure to something more achievable... something."

It was then that Diaval finally released the branch supporting his balance and made the final few steps needed to reach solid her back to him, he leaned his head over her shoulder to whisper into her ear."Why not try and make the solution we do know will work... try and make that happen?"

She threw her head back in frustration, nearly striking him with her only the solution were that simple, but it wasn't.

Given that they've already had a similar conversation, he refuted her next point before she could make it."You keep trying to shatter a curse that you say cannot be broken, so don't call me certainly sounds a lot better than exhausting your power time and time 't you think?"

She exhaled and leaned most of her weight upon the staff, hating having to admit when he was right."I don't may simply be that Aurora was doomed from the moment I cursed we've got too much to deal with for me to be worrying about just one girl."Twisting her head around, Maleficent sought to justify herself further."And it's not like I know of any potential suitors, even if there is one who would work."

"I've encountered more than a few decent men over the 's all just a matter of bringing them together."

She sighed with her experience with Stefan, Maleficent wanted nothing more to do with any Aurora was human and had since been cut off from any others of her own species... even her three 'aunts' were merely fairies in Aurora never have even met a man?Either way it sounded better than doing nothing, even if the gesture were purely symbolic.

Turning her attention to Stefan's citadel of Caldoria in the distance, Maleficent wondered of the human kingdom's lack of activity these past two she could justify sending her beloved Raven into danger for the purpose of bringing back useful information."I'll keep that in the meantime I'd like for you to go into 've got to be building up a stockpile of hellfire 't search anywhere you've already been.I need you to find those weapons."

He nodded obediently."I'm very certain it's not in there are still neighboring villages and other trade routes I've not yet investigated."

It made sense, but Maleficent wasn't about to argue when she had nothing better to suggest."I trust your I still want you to check in on the castle before reporting back."

Diaval didn't wish to argue with Maleficent, although he was certain there wasn't anything open to learn in since Stefan began firing his new weapon against the Moors, the guards have started taking measures to keep spies from infiltrating the windows were either closed or secured with iron, and the guards have started chasing off or killing any suspicious birds.

Despite knowing this, Maleficent still wanted him to spend as much time in Caldoria as was she didn't know was that Diaval didn't intend to follow her directions quite as she believed.

Reluctantly he smiled and turned towards the castle in the distance."If I should find anything, shall I return to the nest?"It irked her to have her home called a 'nest,' even if that's exactly what it was.

"No, I promised the little Beastie a rematch from yesterday's..."She couldn't bring herself to say the word 'defeat,' even if it was only over a game of mud slinging."You'll know where to find us."

He smiled sincerely this time."So while you're playing in the mud, I'll be playing hide and seek with Caldoria's guards.I don't think Aurora would be very happy if I weren't to come back."

Maleficent returned the pleasant smile and waved her hand to turn him back into his natural form."Into a Raven."

Even after nearly a decade and a half, Maleficent still couldn't take her eyes off her beloved raven until he was well beyond her into the human realm was always a dangerous task, and Maleficent had grown particularly fond of he may have had the intelligence of a human, he lived in a fragile body.

"Be safe... you're my wings."She whispered.


End file.
